Into the Storm
by duchessofbooks
Summary: A severe storm hits Mystic Rock Harbor. Angel has her work cut out when three people are murdered during the storm, but with no electricity, she must revert to old tactics in order to solve the case. Angel/Mok romance.
1. Prologue

_All Rock and Rule characters belong to Nelvana. Original characters belong to me. _

Prologue

Mystic Rock Harbor in British Columbia was in full swing, but it was not of the good kind. Weather meteorologists from almost every TV news station had given the same warning to residents who lived on the west coast of British Columbia.

A severe autumn storm was forming in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The meteorologists warned the people living along the west coast that the storm would have strong gusty winds, powerful lightning strikes, basketball sized hail, and heavy rain.

As soon as the residents of Mystic Rock Harbor heard that they were in the path of the storm, they immediately headed out to retrieve food, water, batteries, and other necessary items that would help them survive.

For those who lived close to the beaches were ordered to boarder up windows and doors and if they desire, they were welcome to stay in the schools that were used as shelters.

However, there were few who flocked to the gun shops before they boarded up. These folks had informed the owners that the guns they were buying were for protection after the storm, in case of looters.

"Gotta protect our own turf," one elderly cat humanoid said, "A lot of people will do crazy things after a storm."

However, there was one person, a dog humanoid who purchased a gun who gave a different explanation, "There are some rodents that I need to take care of, rats tend to go crazy during a storm." He bought a pistol and left the gun shop, although the owners did not suspect a thing.

()()()()()()()()

Out on the beaches, the waves came crashing to the shore in gigantic proportions. There were a few people out on the water, enjoying some time before the weather turned ugly.

The houses that had an ocean view had their windows and glass doors boarded up and the patio furniture were locked up inside their sheds, although there was a possibility that the sheds would be destroyed in the storm.

At one of the beaches, an elderly rat woman was suffering from a weather-sensing migraine. "It is coming, I can feel it in my head," she said to her husband, who nodded. The two were watching the clouds that were heading towards the town.

Just then, the sirens blared across the town and the Mystic Rock Harbor P.D. called out on the speaker phones on the poles all over town. "This is the Mystic Rock Harbor P.D., all citizens are to take shelter immediately! I repeat, all citizens are to take shelter immediately!" Captain Davey Biggins said.

In an instant, all of the residents of the town closed up their doors and sought shelter inside their homes or businesses. The town's streets were deserted in under a minute, apart from a few feral animals who went to find their own shelter.

Now all the people can do was to wait and pray.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

In the Swagger household, Angel was giving her three year old daughter, Emmy a quick bath before the worst was to come. Emmy played with the bubbles and Angel blew on some of them, making them move on the water.

It had been over a month since Angel closed the case of the 'Beach Killer Murders'. Angel and her husband, Mok moved on with their lives, especially with their daughter.

Just then, Angel snapped back to reality when she and Emmy heard the sirens outside. "Mommy, what is that?" Emmy asked, having not heard the sound before.

"That is a siren, the storm is getting close," Angel replied and took Emmy out of the tub and dried her off.

Angel helped Emmy into pajamas and brushed her teeth and took her to bed. Mok came in and noticed how quickly Emmy fell asleep. "I used the baby bubble bath, it will help her sleep through the whole thing," Angel said to him.

"I am not so sure, I have a feeling that this storm is going to be a nasty one," he replied, peeking through the wooden boards on the window.

"Do you think we should've gone to the school?" Angel asked, feeling her husband's nervousness.

"No, somehow, we'll make it through," Mok replied and kissed his wife's forehead.

They left their daughter's room and went to the living room, where they watched the weather news on TV. Reporters were out on piers or docks pointing to the dark clouds on the horizon and there were a few lightning strikes.

"The best for the residents of Mystic Rock Harbor is to stay in the lower part of their homes and do not go out in the storm as you saw that there is lightning and basketball sized hail will fall and it will likely be fatal," one reporter said.

An news anchor woman tells the audience, "We also advise everyone to be stocked up on food, batteries, toiletries, water, and medical supplies as this storm will cause power outages. Be aware that the electric companies are on stand-by, but they will not restore power until the storm has passed."

"Have you experienced anything like this in your youth?" Angel asked her husband.

"A few times, but they were not at all pleasant. My father always kept saying, "Don't know why this causing a lot of panic, it's no big deal." However, everytime the storms hit, the windows that had not been boarded up would break and glass scattered everywhere in my apartment.

"My father, being drunk as he was, slept through the whole ordeal, while my mother and I went to our apartment's basement. By the time the storm passed, we would find my father on the bed, sleeping away without a care in the world," Mok explained.

"With no scratch on him?" Angel asked, flabbergasted.

"Nope," Mok answered.

Angel took a quick peek through the wooden boards and saw that the dark clouds were getting closer to the shore.

()()()()()()()()()()

Elsewhere in the town, in a one-story house, a female dog humanoid had been panicking ever since she heard the sirens.

"I think it's getting closer," she said to her husband.

"Will you relax? It'll pass in no time," he answered, he could feel the weight of the pistol in his holster.

The couple's two children were also fearful for their lives and they cuddled together in a corner.

"Honestly, you three are old enough to know that storms will go by and you're safe in this house," the male dog humanoid informed them. "And if you don't shut up and behave, I will shot you like dogs," he added, but he didn't reveal the pistol.

"Honey, you don't mean that, do you?" his wife asked, but her husband just chuckled.

It wasn't until later, that the dark clouds hovered over the town, the wind picked up, and the lightning and thunder struck. Heavy rain came down really fast, much like a waterfall.

The dog humanoid family were still in the living room, listening to the storm. The lights began to flicker, but then, a loud thunderclap boomed and the electricity went out.

"It's happening! Oh gods! Please take me and my babies!" the wife exclaimed, cradling her teenage children.

The husband did his best to ignore his family's unbearable excitement. He had done it before, but this was the last straw.

"Will you just shut up?!" he yelled at his wife, but that only made things worse. The wife began to shake and, much like a real dog, began to whimper and so did her children.

"Alright, that's it!" the husband shouted and pulled out the pistol, "I said that I will shoot all of you like dogs!" he yelled, pointing the gun at their faces.

"Alan, please, we won't-" but the wife didn't get to finish as her husband shot one round into her forehead and she was dead before she hit the floor.

The two children screamed as they stared at their dead mother, but their father shouts, "Enough! Now go outside!"

Having no choice, they followed their father's instructions and headed out into the storm, with the father carrying his dead wife on his shoulders.

The father had his children walk down the street, gun in hand, and he was getting drenched by the rain. Thunder boomed and lightning cracked.

The children whimpered and their father ordered them to stop outside of the run-down dock they lived close to. He dropped his wife's body on the ground and turned his attention to his children.

"You three have been nothing, but trouble," he said to them and then, a loud thunderclap echoed across the sky, just as the culprit shot both his children in the back.

He hurried to the dock, where the waves were atrocious and slamming against the wooden piers. The culprit threw the pistol into the sea, hoping that the waves would take it to the depths.

Seeing that the job was done, he hurried back to his home, where he changed clothes and went to sleep on the couch.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Angel awoke to the sound of the monstrous wind and booming thunder outside. She realized that the electricity had gone out and she peeked through the boards on one of the windows.

Lightning touched down almost everywhere, thunder boomed so loud that it would make anyone go deaf, and Angel heard the hail pounding on the roof.

Suddenly, a lightning strike hit very close to the house, but it hit a nearby tree. It splintered opened and it crashed down close to the patio.

"Mommy!" Angel heard her daughter scream as she had been awakened.

"Boss, we better get downstairs," Toad commanded, while his brothers and sister, Cindy went down to the lower part of the house.

"Stay with me, we're going to get Emmy," Mok ordered and he, Toad, and Angel went to the little girl's room.

Thunder boomed, again, and Mok opened the door to his daughter's room where Emmy was crying and cradling a stuffed animal.

"It's going to be okay, sweetie, c'mon, we're going downstairs," Angel said, taking her daughter in her arms and they hurried down the steps, using a flashlight for guidance.

They reached the basement, where the Swagger family and their employees listened to the howling wind, crackling thunder, and the pounding of hail. It almost sounded like a war raging on outside.

No one spoke a word, Cindy turned on the radio, but all they got was static. Emmy cuddled by her parents and they listened for a short while until Emmy asks, "When will it be over?"

"It's hard to say, it could take a few minutes or maybe more than an hour, but it will end soon," Mok said to his daughter.

Emmy yawned, but she didn't want to go to sleep as she was afraid of the storm. "If you're tired, you can sleep, we'll stay up and watch," Angel said to her little girl.

"But I'm scared," Emmy replied.

"It's alright to be scared of a big storm," Mok said and adds, "In fact, I'm scared, too."

"I thought grown-ups aren't afraid of anything," Emmy replied, staring up at her father.

"They can get scared, in fact, I was scared for what happened this pass summer, mainly because of if anything were to happen to you and your mother," the retired rock star informed Emmy.

"We should get some rest, I'm sure the storm will be over by morning," Angel said, but Emmy didn't want to go to sleep.

Mok thought of a brilliant idea and began to sing.

**_V'là l' bon vent  
V'là l' joli vent  
V'là l' bon vent  
M'amie m'appelle  
V'là l' bon vent  
V'là l' joli vent  
V'là l' bon vent  
M'amie m'attend_****_  
_**

Mok's mother sang this song when their were wind storms when he was young and it sent him to sleep in no time. Emmy listened to her father and she fell asleep as she cuddled between her parents.

"Let's turn out the lights, save the batteries," Toad said to his siblings and they shut off the flashlights, engulfing everyone in total darkness.

* * *

**From the author: Sorry for the short chapter, I wanted to save the exciting part for the next one. The song Mok had sang is called '****V'là l' bon vent' or 'Here Comes the Wind', a French Canadian folk song. **  



	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

By morning, the storm had passed, but it left a trail of destruction in its wake.

Power lines were down with some wires flickering as they had been detached from their fuse boxes. Some trees had been uprooted and some had crashed onto houses, cars, and on the street. Sand that had been blown by the powerful wind was everywhere.

Roofs had been torn off, but there were few that had stayed intact. Windows that had not been boarded up were broken and glass scattered everywhere.

The clouds were still a cold gray and a gentle wind blew into town. The people began to venture out of their secured homes where they found the town in a near-ruined state.

With no time to waste, the town's people began to look for any survivors in houses that had collapsed during the storm. Emergency personnel set up tents in the middle of town, where they would treat the injured.

Some of the business owners, however, protected their own turf from looters by threatening to shoot them on the spot. The town's police force had their work cut out as they searched for survivors, bringing in the injured, and arresting any thieves who were stupid in their heists.

The Swagger house was one of few surviving structures that were close to the beach, with only a few roof tiles that been blown away, and the sand piled up to the patio.

The Swagger's, with their employees emerged from the house, unscathed. Mok, having Emmy in his arms, looked around the landscape, and breathed a sigh of relief. "The best part about this is that we are alive," he said and Angel rested her head on his shoulder.

The first thing they did was to dig away the sand that had piled up beside the house, even little Emmy got in on it, using her hands.

Angel and Cindy checked to see if anything was damaged inside, including up in the attic. Luckily, nothing was badly mangled by the storm, but it seemed that the roof's interior may need a patch up.

"Angel!" Mok called out to his wife, "Davey is here!"

"What? I don't believe it," she replied and went back outside, where she met with her boss, Captain David 'Davey' Biggins.

"Davey, what brings you here?" Angel asked.

"You're not going to believe this, but we got a triple homicide by the old dock," he replied and Angel's eyes grew wide.

"Are you sure?" she asked, again.

"I am pretty sure. At first, I thought they were hit by lightning, but Hannah found gun-shot wounds on the back of the woman's head and more gun-shot wounds on the two kids' backs," Davey explained and Angel gasped when she heard that two children were the victims.

"Do you believe they are related to the woman?" she asked.

"I do, they do share the same features. Hannah has them at the morgue now and Killigan and Rister are looking for anyone who knows the three of them," Davey replied and Angel began to think.

"Do you think they were homeless?" she asked, but Davey shook his head.

"They didn't look that way, they were wearing nice clothes, not the kind you would see on homeless people," he replied and adds, "Anyway, I wanted to ask you if you can come and work on this case."

"Davey, look around," Angel said and her boss did look around, "I can't abandon my family and my employees and let them do all the work."

"Angel, you're not the only one who is up to her eyeballs in work, and you're the best officer in the force," Davey replied, "Listen, I'm needed in the rescue and recovery relief, so I really need you on this case, please?" he begged.

Angel looked back at her family and the employees, who were still digging away at the sand. Mok seemed to notice the look on his wife's face and joins her. "Angel, what is the matter?" he asked.

"We got a triple homicide and Davey here needs every able bodied officer to take this case, but since everyone is out working in the recovery relief, I'm the only one available," she replied. Mok placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Then go, we'll be fine," he said. Angel looked at their daughter, who was using a sand bucket to transport some sand to the beach, with Cindy watching her.

"Alright," Angel replied and went inside the house to retrieve her badge, gun, and forensic kit.

"Mommy," Emmy said as soon as Angel stepped out, "Are you going to work?"

"I'm afraid so sweetie, but I should be back by this evening," she replied and kissed her daughter's forehead, "I love you," she added.

"Love you, too, mommy," Emmy said and Angel joined with Davey and they drove away to the crime scene.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

During the drive, Angel got to see the destruction left by the storm. Trees had been uprooted, most of them struck power lines or landed on houses or cars. Electric companies were out and about, working on the down power lines.

Most of the people were hard at work removing the heavy trees, including the branches off of their lawns.

Davey and Angel arrived at the scene; it was close to the run-down, abandoned pier and dock in the shady part of town. The houses that were close to the pier were in need of good repair, not due to the storm, but perhaps from years of humidity and other sorts.

Angel walked into the crime scene and began to look around. Outlines of the victims had been made of white tape, but Angel was stumped when she saw that the third body did not leave any blood.

"I suspect the woman was already dead and, if the other two were her children, they died here," Angel said as she looked over the other two and took pictures of them.

"Did you look for any weapons along the premises?" she asked Davey.

"We did, but nothing," he replied, although Angel found that hard to believe. She moved out from behind the police tape and began to look for herself.

Her guts told her to check the pier and she walked over to what was left of it. Most of it had been washed away in the storm, as some wooden beams and boards were floating out in the open ocean.

Angel looked around in the water, but due to the muck, it was impossible to see anything. She was about to leave, when the sun, its rays piercing through the clouds, shown on the water, and Angel saw something shine.

"Davey," she called and walked up to him, "I need some scuba gear."

"What for?" her boss asked.

"It's a hunch and I just hope I'm right," she replied and Davey ordered for some scuba gear to be brought for Angel.

After changing into a wet suit with goggles and armed with an oxygen tank, Angel went into the water, praying that the sun would still shine its rays on the object. She located the source and picked it up; it was a pistol and she returned to the shore.

"What did you find?" Davey asked when Angel broke the surface.

She held up the pistol and replies, "It could be the murder weapon."

"I wish I follow my guts, but I don't have the gut to do it," Davey said. The pistol was bagged as evidence and Angel changed out of the scuba gear.

"I need a ride to the morgue," she said, she was eager to hear what her friend, Dr. Hannah Gideon had to say about the victims.

()()()()()()()()()()

Angel was brought to the Mystic Rock Harbor's PD morgue. Luckily, it survived the ragging storm last night, although was sure that Hannah had her work cut out due to the fatalities from the storm.

She placed a lab robe over her clothes as she entered in the morgue. That was when she heard the humming of a generator. "Sorry Angel, I need electricity to do my work and to keep the corpses cold. With the town out of power, there was no other way," Hannah said to her.

"It's okay," Angel replied, "Anyway, did you have time to look over the three victims that were said to be murdered?" she asked.

"Yup and they were murdered by the way," Hannah answered and featured the three victims there were displayed on the tables. "Did you find any ID on any of them?" Hannah asked.

"No, not yet," Angel replied and looked at the woman dog and saw a bullet wound to the forehead. "Was she shot first?" she asked.

"I believe so, her wound is different from the kids, as both of them were shot in the back," Hannah answered, "Death was instantaneous for the three of them, but I believe they did not suffer for too long," she added.

Angel looked at the two children, they looked like teenagers, a boy and a girl. Ever since this pass summer, Angel always dreaded seeing a child at the morgue. "They had their lives cut out before their time," she said and Hannah nodded.

Then, Captain Davey came in and says, "We got someone who might know the identities of these three victims, Mr. Alan Middleton."

A middle aged male dog humanoid came in and stared at the three corpses. His eyes grew wide in shock and he backed into the wall. "No, no, no," he said, covering his eyes.

"Mr. Middleton, do you know who they are?" Davey asked.

"Yes," Mr. Middleton answered and began to sniff, "My wife and kids, Helena, Kristen, and Lucas, or Luke as he...was called."

"Mr. Alan Middleton," Angel said, "My name is Angel Lyons-Swagger, I'm a detective in forensics, I want to say I'm sorry for your loss. Let's go somewhere else and talk," she added and she and Davey led him out of the morgue.

()()()()()()()()()

The station had no electricity, so another generator was being used, but it hummed very loudly. In the main lobby, Angel and Davey spoke to Alan Middleton.

"Do you know what happened last night? Do you know where your wife and children went before the storm?" Angel asked.

"I got home early after finishing boarding up the auto-shop I worked at, because my wife and kids are terrified of storms. I wish they weren't so scared all the time, because it usually got out of control.

"Anyway, I'm came home, but Helena and the kids were not there, which surprised me because the kids were let out of school due the threat of the storm. I called on her cell, but no answer. I suspected that she took the kids to do some last-minute shopping before the worst was to come, but then, when the storm did come, they did not come back," Alan explained and continues.

"I thought maybe they took shelter at the grocery store, so I called the closet one, but I got an automatic message saying that the phone lines were temporarily out of service due to the storm. I was planning to ride up to the store, but they say it is not safe to ride during a storm."

"You were wise into not doing that," Davey said and asks, "What did you do during the storm?"

"I just waited and listened, hoping and wondering when they would walk through the door, but I fell asleep around midnight I guess because the next thing I knew, it was morning and a police officer was knocking at my door," Alan answered.

"Mr. Middleton, is there anyone who would have a grudge against you?" Angel asked, but Alan looked confused and he shakes his head. "Your wife and children were murdered. They might have been killed during the storm," Angel said and Alan's eyes grew wide in shock.

"Do you have any leads or clues?" Alan asked.

"We can't share information with anyone outside of the force, but you will be the first to know who did it, that is when or if we catch them," Davey replied.

"Please do so and I will be forever grateful," Alan said and he left the station.

"Did he look sincere?" Angel asked her boss.

"Let's not judge Mr. Middleton's feelings, he just lost his family," Davey replied.

"I'm just curious about what you thought of him," she said.

"You don't suspect he killed his wife and kids?" Davey asked, hands on his hips.

"No, I just think he is hiding something," Angel replied.

"Detective Swagger, I suggest you begin working on who owns that gun and see if it was the murder weapon," the police captain ordered and Angel nods and starts working on her tasks.

* * *

**From the author: Liking it so far? There's more to come!  
**


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

No Internet access meant no speedy work for Angel as she mostly relied on the Internet for research, but she didn't need it right now.

She had completed filling three crime reports on the family that had been murdered last night. Now came the hard part, she had to find where the gun came from and who owned it.

Angel knew that guns had numbers on them and gun shop owners usually wrote down the numbers to identify the people who bought the weapons. She looked at the handle of the pistol and found the numbers and wrote them down.

"I'm going to check every gun shop in this town to see if one of them sold this gun," Angel said to her boss.

"Good luck with that because I think every shop would be boarded up still," Davey replied and Angel left the station.

The clouds were still gray and the breeze smelled of the sea and sand. Angel took a walk around Mystic Rock Harbor and it was quite a sight. Utility workers were doing their best in repairing the power lines. Some of the telephone poles had collapsed onto building, but luckily the fuse boxes did not spark a fire.

Roofs had been blown away, revealing the wooden structures underneath. Debris laid everywhere, trash, branches, and even sand from the beach littered the streets.

"Careful miss," someone in a utility uniform said and pointed to a down power line that sparked with electricity.

Angel took extra caution in walking the streets and located the first gun shop. The owner was sweeping up debris on the sidewalk and Angel asked him if he sold any gun with the numbers she had written.

The owner shook his head, "Sorry, can't help you," he said, "I went to electronics two years ago and I keep all my records on the computer. With the power out, I can't help you."

That was the downside for Angel as most people in this town relied on electronics and with no power, they were helpless.

Angel went to the next gun shop and the owner had the same excuse. She felt her luck was about to run out as there was a third shop in town, the last one.

The owner, an elderly dog humanoid looked over the numbers and his face lit up. "Let me get my book," he said and Angel's hopes went up.

"You don't have records on a computer?" she asked, sounding excited.

"Don't like those electronic things and heck, I don't know how to use one," the owner replied and showed her inside. The owner pulled out a leather journal from behind the counter and opened it up to the recent sales.

"Yeah, I sold a pistol with those numbers to an Alan Middleton," the owner said and Angel was shocked when she heard the name.

"Alan Middleton?" she repeated the name, baffled by this. "Do you know what time it was when he came and bought the gun?" she asked.

"It was before the storm, I say between 2 and 4 pm," the owner replied.

"Did he give an explanation as to why he wanted to buy the pistol?" Angel asked, again.

The owner began to think and answers, "He said that there was some vermin he had to take care of or something like that."

Angel usually jumped to conclusions and she thought that Mr. Middleton murdered his own family, but why? Angel thanked the gun shop owner and went back to the station.

She informed her boss of what she found out. "That's interesting," Davey said.

"I'm going to see Hannah and see if she pulled out any bullets from the bodies," Angel replied and went to the morgue.

Angel entered inside the morgue where she could hear the humming of the generator and saw Hannah doing a report.

"Oh good, you're here," she said and motioned Angel to come near her. "I pulled these out of the Middleton family," Hannah added, showing six bullets, they looked identical.

"I honestly wish the electricity would come back on, I don't know how long this generator will last," Hannah said and Angel had to agree. She needed to use a telescope to see if the bullets' numbers were identical to the ones Alan Middleton owned, but Angel had to retrieve them first.

"Thank you Hannah," she said to her friend and left the morgue and returned to her boss. Angel explained to Davey that she needed to see Alan Middleton and ask him if he owned the pistol and if he did, she wanted to see the bullets.

"Best of luck in finding a judge to sign a warrant, I can't reach any of them with the telephone lines down and my cell is dead," Davey said to her.

"Crap, mine is too," Angel replied after looking at her cell phone.

"Here," Davey said and began to write something on a piece of paper. He wrote some of the town's judges' addresses. "Hope you can find one of them," he added and Angel thanked him and left the station.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Angel walked around the town, again, trying to locate any of the judges. She looked around the place, astonished by how much damage the storm left.

Some of the streets had been clean of debris, but the utility workers were still trying their best to restore power to the town. Angel knew that it was going to take some time for that to happen.

A gentle breeze blew in and the clouds were disappearing, revealing a wondrous blue sky.

Angel located the first judge's home, but what she saw upset her. A tree had fallen on the house, it was completely leveled and firemen and paramedics were hard at work.

"Hey!" Angel called and the firemen looked at her, "Do you need any help looking for survivors?" she asked.

"No ma'am, we found everyone, but I hate to say this, there were no survivors," one of them replied and Angel's stomach dropped.

She looked around and saw two body bags on gurneys being loaded into the coroner's van. Angel quietly said her respects to the judge and whatever family he had with him during the storm.

Angel left to find the next judge. To her relief, the judge's house was not destroyed, but she was informed by a maid that he left town to escape the storm.

Angel had one more judge to find and she walked to his home. This time, the judge, Edmond Harris was home at work in cleaning up his yard with his children.

"Your honor," Angel said and Harris turned to face her. Judge Harris was a rat humanoid with dirty blonde hair and green eyes.

"Detective Swagger, what brings you here?" Harris asked.

"I need you to sign a warrant, there was a triple homicide last night and we have a suspect," Angel explained and Harris seemed interested in the story.

Angel explained about the murders, the pistol, and the suspect, Alan Middleton. "A guy kills his own family?" Harris asked, "But why?"

"I don't know, that's what I intend to find out," Angel replied and adds, "I need to search Middleton's property to see if he is hiding anything."

"Well, you are in luck, as I keep some printed warrants in my office here," Harris said and leads her inside. The judge's house survived the brunt of the storm and Angel wondered how it did.

"This whole town is in turmoil, all because of one big storm, and they feel it's the end of the world to them," Judge Harris said as they entered his office. It was full of shelves with tons of books and a desk with papers and pens.

"Now I did hear that you found a pistol at the crime scene, did you find out who owned it?" the judge asked, pulling out a warrant.

Angel answers, "Yes, Alan Middleton, the gun shop owner confirmed it."

The judge nods and fills out the warrant, even signing it and hands it to Angel. "You best be careful, as I said, the whole town is in turmoil, it might take weeks for everything to get back together," Harris said to her.

Angel thanked him, taking the warrant, and leaves the house. "Good luck in the cleanup," she said and he chuckles.

Angel walked around the town, it looked the same as before, but there were Red Cross tents set up. People were being treated for injuries or were offered food. Angel knew that these people were homeless or their homes survived, but they were in need of repair.

Just then, someone shouts, "Help! Thief!"

Out of the blue, Angel saw a young cat humanoid running from Red Cross nurses and she followed suit. She was quick on her and tackled the thief to the ground.

"Get off me, bitch!" the cat shouted, flailing his legs under Angel's weight. The nurses and some other people came in to help and pull the thief up to his feet.

Angel checked the cat and found a bag of bottles of morphine and syringes. "Why did you steal these?" she demanded, although she suspected that he was addicted to the drug.

"They're for my cousin, he's hurt," the cat answered rather quickly.

"Oh c'mon, you have to get up early in the morning to think of an answer like that," Angel replied, just as a police officer came in and handcuffed the thief and took him to a waiting squad car.

"Detective Swagger," the officer said, "The captain wishes to see you," he adds and she gets in front seat of the car and they, with the thief head to the station.

Upon arrival, the officer took the cat humanoid thief to booking, but Angel heard the agent say, "We can't take him to a cell, it's crowded."

"What do you suggest?" the officer asked.

"Handcuff him there," the booking agent answered, pointing to a steel rail beside a bench. The officer obeyed and left the cat there.

Angel went to look for her boss and found him in his office. "Angel, this whole town-"

"Has gone to hell?" she filled in for him and Davey nods.

"I have everyone, even the fire department out on the field, and I think you should do portal. That means there will be a curfew at 11 pm and no one is allowed to be out at that time," Davey explained. Angel was surprised, she was not expecting her boss to put her on portal duty.

"But what about the Middleton case? I've got a warrant to search the property," she pointed out and showed the signed warrant.

Davey looked it over, nodding and replies, "Will you need anything?"

"I will be looking for blood, my theory is that the woman was killed in the house and the children died while outside at the scene," Angel said and Davey nods, again.

"I'll let you take Officer Hawkins, he could use some air, and before I forget," he replied and adds, "There is a rainstorm coming tonight, not like the one we had last night."

"Wonderful," Angel said in a sarcastic tone and leaves the office. She collected her forensics kit and Officer Hawkins lead her out the door.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Angel and Officer Hawkins drove to the Middleton house just before mid-afternoon. It was still chaotic in the town, but it seemed that the electric companies were on a roll as parts of the town were being restored to power.

Trees and debris were removed from the streets thanks to several volunteers, including Mayor Giroux. Angel decided not to talk to him as she was not sure how he would react to the triple homicide that occurred during the storm.

Angel saw a few people walking the streets, some had stopped to stare at the waves that were crashing on the beach at the left side. Angel stared at the waves, too, mesmerized at their strength as they pounded at the sand.

Then, she spotted three familiar people, her husband, daughter, and Cindy, staring out at the beach. "Hawkins, stop the car," Angel ordered and he stopped and she got out.

"Mommy!" Emmy exclaimed and Mok and Cindy turned to see Angel rushing up to them. Emmy ran into her mother's arms and Angel hoisted her up to her shoulders.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked as Mok kissed her cheek.

"The little lady wanted to go for a walk and boy, we've seen a lot of things going on," Cindy answered.

"I bet you've heard this a lot already," Mok said, "This whole town has gone hectic."

"Yes, I know and I've seen it, too. I arrested a thief who was trying to steal some morphine from the Red Cross," Angel answered, "Plus, one of the judges and his wife were killed during the storm, a tree fell on their house."

"Geez," Cindy said under her breath.

"What are you doing now?" Mok asked.

"I am this close in solving the triple homicide," Angel answered, using her fingers to show how much she was referring.

"That much?" he asked, again, and she nods, "And you did that without Internet?"

"It was a pain walking around, but I did it," Angel answered, setting Emmy down and that's when she noticed that her daughter's hair was in two pigtails.

"Who did this?" Angel asked, showing the braids.

"Cindy, but I helped," Emmy answered.

"You look cute in pigtails," her mother replied and remembered that she left Officer Hawkins in the squad car. "Listen, I have to get back to work, I should be home this evening," Angel added. She asked for a kiss from Emmy, who kissed her on the cheek.

Angel then looks at Mok, they shared a kiss, "I love you, so much Angel," he said.

"I love you, too," Angel replied and turns to leave, but waves at them and she heads back to the squad car and it drove away.

()()()()()()()()()()

Angel and Hawkins arrived at the Middleton house, it did not suffer much from the storm, but there were sticks and leaves scattered about.

Angel took her forensics kit and walked up to the door and knocked. Alan Middleton answered, he looked as if he took a nap.

"Detective Swagger, what are you doing here?" he asked, Angel could sense he was surprised. She then smelled some lemon scented cleaning chemical, but it wasn't bleach.

"I'm sorry to barge in, but I have a warrant to search the house," Angel answered, holding out the slip of paper.

"Can't you do it another time? I'm in mourning, I just lost my whole family," Alan Middleton said, but Angel did not buy it.

"Really? Do you clean while you mourn?" she asked and saw that Alan's face had changed. He let them in, Angel handed the warrant to him, and she went into the front room.

The lemon scent was strong in this room and saw a wet spot on the carpet. "Did you wash up here just now?" Angel asked Alan.

"Yes, I had a leak from the ceiling," he said, but Angel did not see any water dripping from the ceiling and there was no evidence of any water on the ceiling.

Angel opened her kit, taking out some luminol, a chemical that can detect blood. She sprayed it over the spot and in an instant, it glowed.

She took a cotton swap, dipped it in the spot and tested it to see if it was humanoid or animal. The test featured it was humanoid.

"Mr. Middleton, did something happen here just recently?" Angel asked the dog humanoid and she saw that he was shaking.

"Uh, my nose started bleeding before you arrived," he answered, but she didn't buy it.

"Is that so?" she asked and adds, "Do you own a gun?"

"No," he simple answered.

"I beg to differ," Angel said and explains, "I went to one of the gun shops and the owner confirmed the numbers to the gun I found on the pistol I found. He said you bought it before the storm."

Alan did not speak and Angel continued her explanation. "Here's what I think happened; your wife and children were actually here with you and you shot your wife first and then, you had your children walk out in the storm. They were terrified as you ordered them to walk to the old dock and they had no idea what you planned to do," she said.

Alan's face featured a frown and Angel continues, "You carried your wife out of this house to the dock and there you shot your children. Why Mr. Middleton? What did they ever do to you?"

"Because they did not know how to keep it together," he said, featuring no remorse.

Angel just stared at him, but she understood what he meant when he said that. "They couldn't keep calm during the storm?" she asked and he nods.

"Every time it is the same, the shouting to the sky, the whimpering, the shaking, everything! They were grown ups, but they acted like little kids!" Alan shouted and asks, "Do you have kids?"

"A daughter, she's three," Angel answered, angrily.

"Oh, so that's different, a little baby can get terrified of storms, but grown kids should know how to keep it together," Alan said in a dangerous low whisper.

"They were your children," Angel replied, bitterly angry, "A father like you is suppose to protect them from all dangers, even from the forces of nature."

"Well, I did my part in protecting them," the killer said, still unmoved by what Angel said.

"No, you had failed in every possible way," she replied, her anger towards him was at its point.

Angel turned to Hawkins, who handcuffed Alan Middleton and read his Miranda rights and lead him out of the house.

()()()()()()()()()()()

At the station, Alan Middleton was booked in and put in a prison transport car as the station's cell rooms were full.

"Now why would a family man kill his own?" Davey asked Angel.

"I don't know, but he blew a fuse when his family pushed him, in a mental way," she answered as she filled out her report on paper.

The generators were still going, even when it got dark outside and the rain came, again and so did the thunder. The good thing was that there was no wind or lightning strikes, but the electric companies decided to stop for the day and wait to return to work.

"Angel," a female voice said and she saw her friend, Dr. Hannah Gideon. "I located the Middletons next of kin, Helena's mother. I'll be releasing the bodies tomorrow," she said and Angel.

"How did she react when you told her?" Angel asked.

"Like any mother who lost her child and grandchildren to a menace. She did say that she wants her son-in-law to get the needle," Hannah replied and saw that Angel was almost done with her work.

"Do you want me to drive you home?" Hannah asked, again, and Angel nods as she did not drive to work today.

"Give me a few seconds and I'll be finished," she said and continued with her paper work. Hannah sat down and watched Angel write down the last few words.

"How could one storm trigger such a tragedy like this?" Hannah asked and Angel thought of it.

"Don't know, I guess it is in our nature to panic and then move on, that is, if we live to see another day," Angel answered and turned in her work to her boss. She gathered up her things and went with Hannah.

During the drive, some parts of Mystic Rock Harbor were still in total darkness and traffic officers were directing the flow of cars at the intersections.

Angel saw that some of the places that did have electricity were filled with people grabbing a bite to eat or buying whatever was left in the stores.

She saw that her neighborhood was still in darkness and she noticed someone holding a flashlight at the end of her driveway.

It was Cindy, wearing a rain poncho and holding up a flashlight. Angel thanked Hannah for the ride and went in the house with Cindy.

Cindy lead her up the stairs and into the living room, where it was lit with candles. Mok was sitting at a chair with a glass of wine and he noticed Angel.

"Where's Emmy?" she asked in a whisper and Mok gave her a glass and filled it up.

"Asleep, she said the rain will go away when she wakes up in the morning," he answered and Angel took a drink. She saw that the wooden boards were down and they watch the flashing of lightning and the booming thunder.

"Mok, you want to hear what the triple homicide was like?" she asked her husband.

"I do want to hear how it ended," he said, taking another sip. Angel told him the whole story of the Middleton family and of Alan's actions.

"Damn, why would he kill them like that?" Mok asked.

"He couldn't handle it, mentally," Angel answered.

"Mental," he repeated and drank the rest of his wine, "There's always something mentally wrong with everyone in this town," he added and Angel rests her head on his shoulder.

They listened to the rain outside, it was light and gentle, unlike last night. "In another five years, Mystic Rock will be battling another typhoon-like storm," Mok said and Angel finished her wine.

"Angel, I've been thinking," he adds and she looks at her husband. "What would you say if we had another?" he asked, but Angel gave a questionable look.

It then hit her after a minute, "Another baby?" she asked and he nods. "Mok, Emmy is not even four yet and it would be a hand-full with another."

"Who gives a damn?" he asked and adds, "I want to live my life the way you and I committed to and I bet Omar did not-"

"Don't you dare say his name!" Angel snapped at Mok. Whenever she heard her abusive boyfriend's name, it would send shivers down her spine.

"I'm sorry," Mok replied and holds her tight, "I just think that he would never let you live long enough to see yourself exceed in whatever you wanted to do."

"I know," she said and decided to think. After a few minutes, she had her decision, "Alright, we'll have another baby, but if the work load causes a mental strain on both of us, don't blame me."

"I would never be like that, I think about you and Emmy every day and I will most definitely-" Angel stopped Mok from talking anymore by kissing him.

"Don't make a sound," she said as they reached their bedroom and quietly shuts the door.


	9. Epilogue

Epilogue

The rain stopped falling around early morning and the clouds disappeared as the sun's rays filled the sky.

In their bedroom, Angel and Mok were the first to see the sun for the first time in two days. "It's quite amazing how a cloudy day can make us miserable and a sunny day can enlighten us," the retired rock star said.

Angel kissed his cheek and thought about last night as it was first time in three years they had loving sex. Of course, they had to keep quiet so that Emmy would not hear them.

"Angel, about yesterday," Mok said to his wife. "Emmy and I weren't just walking around to see the sights. I went shopping for pencils, paints and a canvas," he explained.

Angel looked at him with a quizzical look. "Are you starting a new hobby?" she asked and he shakes his head.

"Painting was my hobby before I met you, I just hope I still it in me," Mok replied and adds, "This is what I'll paint next, this scenery right here."

Angel leans her head on his shoulder, "I have the utmost confidence in you," she said and got ready to go to work.

()()()()()()()()()

Angel was grateful to see that the electricity had come back on and that meant no humming generators. It also meant that the Internet was back on and Angel got right to work.

She wrote up about the closing of the Middleton case. She received information that Alan Middleton was charged with first degree murder, but he had pleaded not guilty.

Angel brought up about his confession in his house, but Alan stated that he was under pressure and he had to say something. The judge found it hard to believe and declared that Alan Middleton was guilty of the murders of his wife and children. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

"You were good out there Angel," Davey Biggins said to her.

As a reward, Angel was treated to strawberry daiquiris and steak.

Upon her return home, Angel saw that there was a half-finished canvas in the bedroom. It was of the sunrise outside of the porch and Angel loved it.

"You were not suppose to see that," a voice said from behind her. Angel turned to see her husband with a smile on his face.

"Sorry, but it looks good so far," she replied and Mok chuckles.

"So is the Middleton case closed?" he asked, taking his canvas indoors. Angel explained the judge's sentence on Alan.

"Good, I hate to see him walk free,"Mok said.

"No criminal walks free in this town, not while I'm here," Angel replied and Mok kisses her forehead.

"C'mon, first night with the electricity back on is a celebration to me," he said and they went to the living room to spend time with Emmy.

**FIN**

* * *

**From the author: Thank you for reading! There will be more Angel/Mok stories coming soon!**


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